About this role
Position: Pre-School Teacher (SC), (11 months) Peabody School/Office of Student Services Peabody School Community: Welcome to The Peabody School Community! At the Peabody School, our identity is shaped by an inclusive and deeply cohesive community that champions both the pursuit of academic excellence and a profound commitment to service. Our entire community is united by our powerful mission: To love. To learn. To lead. This strong community spirit is nurtured daily through our morning meetings and shared weekly with families via our publication, Pumas in the Know. We take pride in being an educational pioneer, specifically as the first school in CPS to implement the esteemed Kodály music program, affirming our belief that "Music is for everyone." We enrich our students' experience with an average of one major community event each month, providing diverse opportunities for celebration, academic enrichment, and relationship building. Deeper student-educator connections are fostered through varied before- and after-school clubs, such as Math Olympiad, coding, curriculum-linked learning clubs, and our Big Brothers/Big Sisters mentorship program. Our dedicated family organizations, the Friends of Peabody and Peabody Connections, are vital partners who sponsor valuable enrichment like author visits and essential field trips. Every facet of our practice is driven by our commitment to the physical, emotional, and academic well-being of our students. Special Start Program: Cambridge Public Schools Special Start Program provides special education services and programs for children with a wide range of disabilities. The program is designed to partner with caregivers to provide appropriate screening, evaluation, and special education services to young children. Children with disabilities are assigned to classrooms through the special education Team Evaluation Process and have Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). The Special Start program serves children from a range of disability categories, including: The Office of Student Services: The Office of Student Services (OSS) is responsible for providing a variety of supports and services to students in Cambridge Public Schools (CPS). Our programs are dedicated to ensuring equitable access and success for students with disabilities and students who have advanced learning needs. The Opportunity: The Office of Student Services is seeking an experienced PreSchool Teacher who provides systematic, explicit, and individualized instruction to preschool-aged students in both integrated and substantially separate classroom settings. Using a play-based approach and the Focus Curriculum, teachers adapt instruction to support each child's developmental growth, communication, social-emotional functioning, behavioral needs, and academic readiness in alignment with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. Teachers implement research-based instructional and behavioral strategies, integrate technology to support student engagement and learning, and create inclusive classroom environments that foster the development of social, play, language, and early learning skills. The Special Start Teacher collaborates closely with families, related service providers, paraprofessionals, general education staff, and multidisciplinary teams to ensure coordinated and individualized support for students. Responsibilities include developing and implementing IEPs, writing measurable goals and objectives, facilitating team meetings, administering and interpreting formal and informal assessments, monitoring student progress through data collection, and maintaining accurate and confidential student records in compliance with state and federal special education regulations. This role also includes supporting student inclusion opportunities, partnering with related service providers to facilitate whole-class motor, sensory, and language-based activities, supervising and evaluating paraprofessionals, and maintaining ongoing communication with families through conferences, progress reports, and collaborative planning. Teachers are expected to participate in professional development and curriculum planning activities and may be required to support students with toileting needs and perform other related duties as assigned. Your Skill Set: As the incoming Special Start Teacher, you will possess many, though perhaps not all, of the following characteristics and qualifications:
• Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Special Education required.
• Required MA Certification: Moderate/Severe Disabilities in pk-8
• Willingness to be trained and certified in SafetyCare
• Proven experience in early childhood
• Collaborate closely with program lead and behavior specialist for this subseparate classroom
• Excellent understanding of the principles of child development and preschool educational methods, including supporting students with significant disabilities.
• Knowledge and/or experience with (AAC) Augmentative & Alternative Communication (moderate to high technology)
• Fully Knowledgeable in the IEP process.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to engage and collaborate with families, staff, and administrators.
• Experience in facilitating professional development and providing feedback to staff.
• Ability to lead and work within a multidisciplinary team.
How to Join Our Team: Apply online at www.cpsd.us. Please upload a resume and thoughtful cover letter, outlining how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position and stating how you heard about this opportunity. At the Cambridge Public Schools, we are committed to cultivating an environment where diverse perspectives and backgrounds are embraced, acknowledging that a team reflecting diversity of race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, age, gender, marital/domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, and veteran status allows us to serve our communities better. To that end, we welcome and encourage applicants to bring their authentic selves when considering employment opportunities within our school district.